NACSO and the National CBNRM Programme

BackgroundPrior to 1996, rural communities on communal land in Namibia had no rights over

wildlife:

• All wildlife was State property and was generally poorly managed• Local communities often suffered extensive losses as a result of wildlife• Hunting and poaching was rife and wildlife populations were declining• In contrast, commercial farmers have been entitled to utilise wildlife on their land and,

thereby, benefit from it since 1975.

In 1996, the Government of the Republic of Namibia introduced legislation to grant legal rights to rural communities over the management and

utilisation of their natural resources, giving communal area residents the same rights over wildlife and tourism as freehold farmers

This resulted in the development, in the mid-1980s, of the

Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) Programme

CBNRM in Namibia

“Conservancies empower local people to make their own decisions about their own resources, while enabling them to benefit from these resources. Conservancies should be seen as creating an institutional infrastructure in helping to diversify rural economies. Through the conservancy system, my government has created an environment and an opportunity for natural resource based industries to develop”

Dr Sam Nujoma, President of the Republic of Namibia

These objectives are achieved through the formation of Conservancies…

The CBNRM Programme is a joint venture between government, non-governmental institutions, communities, community-based organisations and development partners which aims to:

promote wise and sustainable use of natural resources and encourage biodiversity conservation

devolve rights over and responsibilities for wildlife and tourism to rural communities, creating enterprise and income generation opportunities

encourage and assist communities to acquire skills to manage their area sustainably and actively pilot their own future

A registered conservancy, on behalf of the community it represents,

acquires new rights and responsibilities with regard to the

consumptive and non-consumptive use and management of wildlife:

Consumptive uses include: use of game for trophy hunting, consumption, commercial sale for meat or capture for live sale

Non-consumptive uses include: tourism ventures such as community-based tourism enterprises and joint venture agreements with private sector entrepreneurs

Rights of conservancies

Legal requirements for the formation of communal area conservancies

• Defined membership and registered members; • Defined area with agreed boundaries;• Legal constitution, providing for game

management and utilisation plan & Equitable benefits distribution plan – constitution outlines conservancy purpose and objectives, define membership, management structure, elections, decision-making etc.;

• Representative management committee – either elect new or adopt and adapt existing one;

Historical Background (NACSO)

• IRDNC activities since late 1980s

• LIFE Programme support since 1993

• MET legislation passed in 1996 (increased interest, demand and stakeholders)

• Need for national coordination mechanism discussed since 1997

• Formation of CAN/NACSO (1999/2000)

The aim of NACSO is to promote, support and further the development of community-based approaches to the wise and sustainable management of natural resources, thereby striving to advance rural development and livelihoods, to promote biodiversity conservation and to empower communities through capacity building and good governance, to determine their own long-term destinies.

Aim

NDT – MET

(NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM, Sardep, MAWRD)

IRDNC – MET

(NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM)

RF – MET

(NNF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM, RCs, Sardep)

NNDF – MET

(NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM, MBEC, HU, MWARD)

IRDNC – MET

(NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM)

RISE – MET

(NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM)

……… – MET

(NNF, RF, Nacobta, LAC, UNAM)

Current Members

Structure

Institutional Dev. W/G

IRDNC

Legal W/GLAC

Research&

EvaluationUnam

BEDW/G

Nacobta

NRMW/GDEA

GrantsMgt. & M&ENNF

SecretariateStrategic

W/GNNF

Training W/GRF

Field based implementation is coordinated by a partnership between Local MET offices and Regional based NGO’s.

Refer to map of NACSO partners to show the institutional arrangements in each geographical area

Annual General Meeting

Management Committee

Quarterly Members’ Meetings

NACSO Grant Approval Board

Conservancy Support Activities

• Development of Conservancy Management and Monitoring Systems

• Training

• Tourism Development & Promotion

• Marketing & Harvesting of Veldt Products

• Reintroduction & Sale of Game

• Marketing of Trophy Hunting

• Advocacy on Conservation Policies/Legislation

Development of Conservancy Management& Monitoring Systems

One of the most basic requirements for managing

the wildlife in the region is a tool that will tell conservancies:

1. how many animals there are

Year 1 Year 10

2. where they are and how they move around the region

3. population trends of the various species over time

Example: annual game countsTo determine wildlife numbers, trends and distributions…

Undertaking

N/W Namibia

5 million ha

Reporting

Gemsbok Distribution

Springbok Population

??

??

??

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Populations estimated

using spatial analyses

Distributions mapped

Planning

Count zones

Route maps

Zonations derived from

satellite images

Routes planned from orthophotos

GIS generated planning maps

Date Species East SouthGrid Cell

Notes

Monitoring also includes, for example, monitoring incidents of poaching, problem animals, trophy hunting, fishing

MONTHS

Trend over MONTHSEventually a map showing where each

incident occurred

Use 2kmX2km Grid (hand drawn or GIS)

Trend over YEARS

Training

Institutional aspectsAnnual audits record, for every conservancy each year, progress in many areas:

These can be compiled to provide a national overview:

Base maps

Community Camp Sites

•Develop a central Reservation office

•Standardize sites

•Quality control

•Develop ‘tourism routes’

Joint-Venture Lodges

• Joint-Venture Agreements

• Identifying new locations

Marketing of Trophy Hunting

•Wildlife Management Plan

•Quota Application & Approval

•Hunting Concession Approval

•Trophy Quality Monitoring

Marketing & Harvesting of Veldt Products

& Craft production

Reintroduction & Marketing of Game

• Create the right environment

• Have wildlife monitoring systems in place

• Build and maintain releasing facilities

Advocacy on Conservation Policies/Legislation

* Conservancy Association(s)

Understanding and facilitating CBNRMtraining for MET wardens & rangers from allregions.

Community meeting

Conservancy quarterly planning workshop.

Gabes Geigub, MET warden based inWindhoek at the understanding & facilitatingCBNRM training at Harmony Centre.

…”What our people want is to be involved in the decision-making process and to actively participate in decisions, which will ultimately affect them. They then will take ownership of these decisions and ensure that they are successfully implemented.” (extract from the Statement by his Excellency President Sam Nujoma on Sept. 26th, 1998)

Where are conservancies in Namibia?

A further 14 % of Namibia is protected under the state Protected Areas network, and 5 % is within conservancies on freehold land

Over 95,000 rural people live within conservancies; around 40% of them are conservancy members

Around 78,000 km2, representing 9 % of Namibia, now falls within communal area conservancies

Area under Communal Conservancies

30 emerging = ca. 60000 km2

29 registered conservancies

Area under Conservancies

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Years

Are

a (k

m2)

Committees Representing Diverse Communities

>60 Communities mobilized into representative governance bodies

Wildlife Populations & Trends in North-West Namibia

Gemsbok

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2000 2001 2002 2003

Springbok

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2000 2001 2002 2003

Zebra

0

5

10

15

20

25

2000 2001 2002 2003

Population trends for gemsbok, springbok, and Hartmann’s zebra in NW Namibia from 2000 through 2003 based upon animals observed per 100 kms driven (Source: MET/WWF/NACSO, 2003)

Programmatic Impacts (economic / financial benefits)

Nam ibia National CBNRM Program m e 2003 - Benefits

Namibian National CBNRM Programme 2003 - BenefitsN$14,606,431

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

16,000,000

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Year

N$

Conservancy Non-Financial BenefitsNR-Based Household / Wage IncomeConservancy / Enterprise Income

Conservancy Income/benefits for 2003 are as follows: 2003 Income (N$)

36%

17%

27%

2%

3%1%0%1%1%

7%

4%

0%

1%

0%

Campsites/CBTEs

Trophy Hunting

Joint Venture Tourism

Game Donation

Crafts

Game Meat Dist.

Own Use Game

Cultural Tourism

Interest Earned

Miscellaneous

Campsite Donation

Campsite Mgmt. Training

Thatching Grass

Live Game Sale

Summary CBNRM Programme Benefits by Percentage

CampsitesCBTEs

36%

Trophy Hunting17%

Joint Venture Tourism27%

Miscellaneous1%

Live Game Sale1%

Thatching Grass7%

Game Donation2%

Crafts4%

Interest Earned1%

Own Use Game1%

Game Meat Dist.3%

Total Income = N$14,606,431Total Conservancy Income = N$7,261,905Total Household Income = N$5,774,520

Challenges and the Way Forward

• Broadening beyond wildlife

• Low political profile of wildlife sector

• Prevention of aborted devolution

• Capacity constraints (National and local levels)

Conclusion

The Beginning

Success Through CBNRM Is A Long Road!